Oregon News

Oregon's Single-Use Bag Law & FAQ

8 Jan 2020

What is it?
House Bill (HB) 2509, passed in the 2019 Oregon legislative session, prohibits retail stores and restaurants from providing single-use checkout bags to customers, and places restrictions on other checkout bags they may provide. The ban went into effect on January 1, 2020.

After that, a retail store or restaurant may provide only reusable or recycled paper checkout bags to customers. In certain cases, they must charge a fee to customers for providing the bag.

Oregon Climate Peer Exchange - October 16th

8 Oct 2019

DEQ is partnering with The Good Company, a Eugene-based sustainability consulting firm, to host a statewide peer exchange workshop on Oct. 16 addressing consumption-based greenhouse gas emissions. Over 50 local government staff and allies will gather to discuss local climate action planning tools and techniques, with a focus on actions targeting carbon-intensive consumption activities such as housing, food and transportation. Participating cities include Portland, Beaverton, Eugene, Bend, Mosier and Sisters.

DEQ Wasted Food Measurement Study

16 Sep 2019

DEQ has completed a major milestone in its food waste prevention work, and recently published its findings on the Oregon Wasted Food Study. This study tracked wasted food in both urban and rural households—using quantitative and qualitative research methods—to increase our understanding of how much, what, and why food is discarded by people in Oregon. This work was conducted by Portland State University’s Community Environmental Services.

Key findings include:

Oregon Drug Take-Back Bill Becomes Law

14 Aug 2019

Press release from PSI and Oregon DEQ 

Pharmaceutical companies held responsible to collect unused medications

Portland, Oregon -- Oregon joined five states with a new law that requires drug manufacturers to pay for and run a statewide drug take-back program. The law, signed by Governor Kate Brown and championed by Representative Sheri Schouten, will ensure that every community in Oregon has free, convenient access to safe drug disposal. The law takes effect in September 2019 and the program must be operational by July 1, 2021.

Waste Management Division creates community collector program to help recycle plastic in Lane County

13 Aug 2019

When more than a thousand cars showed up for the last plastic round up, the Waste Management Division was concerned about the carbon emissions created by the cars. In response, waste management specialist Sarah Grimm says they created a community collector program to encourage a few people to collect plastic for their entire neighborhood.

CONTINUE READING AT KVAL NEWS

AOR Board Members Take to the Streets with Fox News to Tackle Recycling Mistakes

2 May 2019

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO

Oregon may have a great reputation for recycling, but that doesn’t mean everyone is doing it right.

Numbers show an average of 25 percent of recycling in the United States is garbage, according to the National Waste & Recycling Association.

In the Portland metro, about 9 percent of what’s in a homeowner’s recycling bin is usually trash, according to Metro.

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